


Wanderland

by xiubeans



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-19 18:25:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7372669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiubeans/pseuds/xiubeans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Calling somebody insane is a little bit too mean, don't you think? I think mad is much nicer."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wanderland

**Author's Note:**

> This story is pretty much based off of ohsh's Love Me Right era fanart that you can find here:  
> > http://ohsh-it.tumblr.com/post/120610901708/d-e-e-p-b-r-e-a-t-h-in-which-xiumin-drugs-chen  
> She's an amazing artist. I highly recommend you check out her Exo fanart!  
> It's also partly based off of Alice in Wonderland since Love Me Right is also based off of that

The forest was a place that was overrun by animals and plants. Every time Jongdae looked outside he was greeted with the arms of oak trees extended towards the heavens. He saw rabbits and deer lurking behind the emerald line that separates the human world with theirs. A world of cleanliness, untouched by humans. He always had the feeling that the line shouldn't be crossed by humans. It would disrupt everything if somebody even took a breath near it. The trees would crumble into dust and animals would drop dead. Yet the forest seemed to give off the impression that it was dark no matter the time. It seemed like the foliage was so thick that the sunlight couldn't get through. The darkness must be how it kept people away and remained pure, or merely hid its inhabitants from view. Sinister inhabitants that had terrifying fangs and claws and gobbled up people. It probably explained why nobody, even the most adventurous and curious of children, kept away. However, that didn't keep him away. He was curious to see what was past the tree line which kept humans away.

The closest he had been to the forest was always on the way to school as a young boy. Whether by car or by bicycle, he would drive by the forest, with only a chain-link fence to keep animals out of the human world and vice versa. There was even a time when he came home after school when he was in high school and stopped to watch the forest breathe. He had thought about climbing over the fence, but it would be dark soon and his parents would worry about him. So he vowed to himself that when he was older he would see what was inside that emerald forest.

*

Curiosity was good, yet too much could be harmful. Jongdae knew that he was too curious for his own good. The saying "curiosity killed the cat" always lingered in the back of his mind, but the thirst for questions to be answered always overpowered the fear of harm. This often put him in harms way, but he was satisfied with the answers he had gotten despite his injuries.

It was barely dawn when he decided he would pay the forest a visit. He had woken up much earlier than anybody in his quaint neighborhood, but adventure called out to him from the forest. He couldn't feel tired with excitement running through his blood, so he forced himself out of bed and prepared himself for the day ahead. He made sure he brought a backpack with him and packed some food in case he got hungry on the way there. When he was ready he left his house with a spring to his steps.

The morning dew was refreshing and cool upon his warm skin. He was careful to be quiet so as to not disturb his neighbors. Many thoughts crossed his mind as he went through his neighborhood: He realizes that human civilization was something intriguing to an animal like a deer or wild dog, just like how the forest was compelling to him. And surely he wasn't the only one who was curious to the point of getting hurt. He had seen many children crawl under tiny spaces that only they could reach and come out with thorns in their hands and scratches on their faces. He could see himself in those children; he was like that as a child himself.

Lost in his musings, he doesn't notice that he reached the edge of his neighborhood when he finally lets his mind return to the task at hand. A chain-link fence blocked his way in the direction of the forest. He looks behind his shoulder at his sleepy neighborhood and quietly bids it goodbye. He didn't know how long he would be gone, but he assumed he would be back before the sun hid behind the mountains. He got to his hands and knees and just managed to squeeze under a hole in the fence. Finally on the unknown side of his world, he ventured out.

He didn't know how far the forest was. He could see the viridescent tops, but they seemed so far. He kept his eyes on the green horizon and used it as a way to help him navigate to the forest. On his way, he walked through a flat grassy plain. It seemed boring at first, but there was a family of rabbits who they kept their distance from him while they followed the path he had flattened from his feet. The rabbits, having not seen anything like him before, must have been curious about this new creature. They followed him until he reached the end of the plain and crossed a dirt road. On the other side was a grove of wisteria, trees with purple flowers which hung from the fingertips of the trees. He checked the green horizon just above the amethyst treetops to make sure he was going the right way. He was indeed in the right direction and happily walked under a natural canopy of flowers. Sunlight could barely reach through the thick flowers, but when it did it cast droplets of light on the lavender floor. He hadn't noticed that a white rabbit that had been munching on wild basil had suddenly taken an interest to him and begun to follow him through the purple tunnel. Only when he was on the other side did he finally notice the rabbit twitching its nose at him. He made no attempt to scare it away and continued on with a white rabbit at his feet.

He followed a dirt path that had yet to be touched by people. The faint footprints of deer was visible if he looked close enough. He follows the prints until dirt suddenly turned into stones and pebbles. He looked up and saw that he wasn't far from the forest. Once he crossed this creek, it probably wouldn't be long before he reached the forest.

The rabbit, who was still trailing after him, suddenly leaped forward and balanced itself on a flat rock which was just above the water. It jumped to another rock, then another, until it reached the other side of the creek. It turned around and twitched its nose, as if coaxing Jongdae to cross the creek. Without a moment to think, Jongdae hopped onto the rocks like stepping stones. He reached the bank without too much time to waste and continued on to where the smooth, wet stones turned to dirt. It didn't take long before he could see the brown body of the trees and the green leaves. He stops just at the edge of the forest and stares up, where the tops of the trees seem to touch the clouds. Then, he looked down towards the ground. The dirt here was much darker. It was a clear sign that the plants were getting plenty of healthy nutrients from it because nobody has stepped foot on this forbidden land. That must explain why the trees became so tall. Suddenly, a spark of light caught his eyes. It had come from within the green sea of trees. Without a second thought, he pushed away a branch and entered the forest, with the white rabbit still on his heels.

 

 

It was like a picturesque scene from a movie. It was like detailed artwork in a picture book. No, it was much more beautiful than those. Pictures and words could not capture the beauty of the brightly shining leaves touched by the fingertips of the sunlight. It was unlike how he imagined it. Jongdae was sure that the reason why he was having trouble breathing was because of the beauty. The forest was entrancing; it was both magnificent and peaceful. If another flash of light hadn't caught his eyes, he would've stared at the swaying branches until it became dark. As pretty as the forest was, it wouldn't be good to stay until night fell. Who knew what animals woke up when darkness came. He forced his feet to move as he told himself that there could be wolves that lurked the forest once it was nighttime.

Jongdae slowly began to walk. The forest has been untouched by man; thus, it was thick with foliage. There didn't seem to be any animals either. Jongdae frowns at the unusual lack of animals. If the forest had some sort of inhabitants, his rabbit would be hopping along cautiously, but it wasn't. It was like it was taking a stroll down a lovely green road, stopping once in a while to nibble on grass. He looses his train of thought once there was another flash of light. Then another. And another. Before he knows it, he shoved his way through a bush and finds a black box with a shiny screen on the grassy floor. His frown returns. How odd! Perhaps this forest had seen humans before. That was the only explanation for a random TV in the middle of the forest. For a moment, a feeling of disappointment settled in his heart. He was not the first one to visit the forest. However, he soon recovered and he decided that even though he was not the first one to enter the forest, he should at least have fun and explore. So he went on his way and to his surprise he found another TV.

"Weird," Jongdae said to the rabbit more than to himself. "I wonder where these are coming from." He leans towards the ground to take a closer look. The screen had three large cracks. Several purple flowers with petals the shape of a monk's hood and long, jade green stems had grown through the large slits. He extended his fingers towards the flower, but he became distracted with another flash of light from the corner of his eyes. He retracted his hand and went towards the source of the light. Once again, another TV was the answer.

Unlike the other one he had just found, this one was in perfect conditioned. He squatted down. Jongdae ran his fingers over the dials and buttons on the side and examined his fingers. There was no dirt nor dust on it, as if the TV had been recently brought here. Again he let his fingers move across the buttons. This time, he accidentally pushes a button. The screen flickered on and artificial light poured from the screen. Colorful static filled the screen. It created flashing patterns that was hypnotizing. Jongdae stares at it for a moment, then shakes his head to gather his attention. No, he mustn't get distracted, not when he had a limited amount of time. So, he stands up and went away, leaving the TV on. The rabbit only gave the screen a glance before it hopped after Jongdae.

As he ventured deeper into the forest, he found even more TVs. Some were too broken to work; the sides had collapsed in, revealing colorful wires. Others had a few scratches but could still be turned on, although the static was worse and it tended to shut off by itself. Then there were the TVs that were in perfect condition. It were those TVs that made Jongdae confused the most. It also gave him a feeling of unrest. He wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe it was the fact that some of the TVs he had stumbled upon could be switched on without a power source. Or perhaps it was because the forest was getting darker with each breath he took? He had never noticed until now, but there was a faint scent of sweetness wafting in the air. Now nervous, he continued to walk deeper into the forest.

Jongdae was thankful when there was a new change of scenery. The trees, which were once a vibrant jade, had begun to turn into a darker shade of green the deeper he went. Now, the vegetation was turning back to the beautiful emerald it once was. The only thing that was concerning was that there seemed to be a slight tint of purple or pink. Upon closer examination, blades of grass and leaves were coated with a thin film of water the color of lavender. Jongdae couldn't come up with an explanation for it. He couldn't come up with a reason for all the books he suddenly found, either.

The TVs had began to thin out; he was seeing less. He took it as a good sign. But the TVs were now replaced with books. In curiosity, he picked up a leather-bound book with French words embroidered onto the worn cover. He flipped it open. The pages were yellowed with time and weather, and the black ink had begun to fade. However, the colorful picture that had taken up one whole page was still in perfect condition. Jongdae stared at the picture for a good while before realizing that it was depicting a scene of a blonde little girl in a blue dress running after a rabbit with a pocketwatch. The scene was very familiar and the name of the story was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't remember. He shrugged, shut the book, and laid it on the ground.

He picked up another book. The cover was made of paper and was a plain red. The title, which was in Korean, was simply Witches. He flipped it to a random page and scanned the first paragraph he saw.

_Today, the number of witches or people who practice witchcraft in the world is unknown. Though imbued with magical powers, they cannot let themselves be known to the world for fear of death. Witches living in cities or urban areas must especially be cautious. Those living in or near the countryside are much safer, but tend to move away from a population and live in solitude. Often, a forest is the area of choice to reside in, as it offers not only resources to build a home, but materials to create potions._

Jongdae flipped to another page. In bold, black letters at the top it said Potions and Recipes. He skipped the large paragraphs and went right to the pictures of colorful potions and flowers used in them. Under each detailed picture was the name, description, and ingredients. He didn't have time to read through all of them, so he decided that he would take it home with him. Speaking of taking it home, he probably didn't have much time before the sun was about to set. He should start making his way back.

Before he could put the book into his backpack and turn around, the sweet scent he had smelled before had returned. His eyesight begins to turn cloudy and the trees start to blur into one shape. Frightened, he attempted to turn around and run, but being half-blinded he turned round and round in circles instead. His sense of direction became disoriented. Without realizing, he chose the direction that would take him further into the forest and jolted away. The white rabbit dashed after him.

The deeper he went, the stronger the scent was and the worse his vision got. Multiple times he ran into the trees, which now resembled large monsters. He knew they weren't real. He saw the trees twist and transform into the monsters, but he couldn't control the fear that pulsed in his veins. His heart pumped adrenaline into his blood, causing him to run faster. Though his lungs burned from lack of oxygen, he pushed on. Without warning, his foot caught onto a tree root and he came crashing to the floor. He quickly scrambled up to his feet without noticing that he had cut his hands and continued on. Eventually, he got to the point where he collapsed from exhaustion. When he could breathe again, he realized that he was now lost and he had somehow lost his backpack. Suddenly, something soft brushed against his hand. He looked down and found the rabbit. He gently pets its back as a silent thanks for keeping him company.

Now that his vision had cleared, he could see that he was hidden in a thick pink fog. It was hard to see what was in front of him; the forest had disappeared inside the fog. He slowly stumbled to his feet. He wonders if he should keep moving or stay in the spot he was in until the fog passed, but he had a feeling that the mist wouldn't clear up any time soon. He chooses the former instead and makes sure he walks slowly to avoid walking into trees. The rabbit also took its time, occasionally stopping to try some sweet mint.

It felt like he had been wandering in the fog for days. Perhaps he was. It was hard to tell when his vision kept phasing in and out while his head was light like marshmallows. Was he walking on air? No, the ground was shimmering. He was walking on a sea of stars. He stares at his feet as he stumbled along, an amused grin on his lips. He had never felt this before; so free and lightweight. He could practically be lifted by the wind, just like how a bird could spread its wings and soar on the wind currents. He was so distracted with this new feeling that he didn't realize that he had discovered a small cabin decorated with plant life. To him, it seemed like a grand castle. And that man standing in front of the gates must be the king! What an odd nose he had. It was wide and a little bit short, kind of like a pig's snout.

"Oh my," the man sighed as he shook his head. "What a horrible time for somebody to come stumbling upon my humble abode. I still haven't finished cleaning." He went up to Jongdae and took his arm. As if drunk, he smiled at the man and let himself be guided by the other into his home. The rabbit followed the men up the steps to the porch but hesitated to go inside. Its ears twitched towards the sound of a growl and it began to shake in fear. When it saw beady black eyes inside the house it ran away into the brush.

Once inside, the man made Jongdae sit down on an antique sofa with soft purple leather decorated with many pillows. He crossed to the other side of the room to a fireplace. A large metal pot was suspended over a blue fire while a kettle was keeping warm at the edge. Carefully, he pulled the kettle out and fetched himself a flower tea cup. On the mantlepiece above the fireplace were glass bottles of various shapes and sizes and colorful liquids. The man chose a tear-drop shaped bottle with a light blue liquid. He began to prepare a drink for Jongdae, but to the latter it seemed like the man was creating a feast for him. Once finished, the man returned to Jongdae and without much trouble had him drink it.

The brightly-lit castle and the king with the odd nose suddenly began to melt away before Jongdae's eyes. They were replaced with a somewhat dimly lit room and a man with a gas mask. He blinked up at him, then looked at his surroundings. There was a large fireplace in front of him. A few feet to the right of the fireplace was a wooden table with many mugs and teacups on it. One side of the room had a large bookshelf with books on the bottom shelf and large jars on the top and middle shelf. From the ceiling hung multiple bundles of dried herbs and what seemed like the paws of a bear. Where was he? Wasn't he in the forest earlier? How had he gotten into this creepy place?

"It seems like Mr. Byun is smoking again," the man said as he removed his gas mask and placed it on a wooden chair next to Jongdae. He was wearing dress pants and a red jacket which seemed to be either shiny or dull. On his face we wore round spectacles. "I'll have to ask Yixing to request him to stop."

"Who are you?" Jongdae asks. His vision was a little bit blurry, but he was feeling better after drinking whatever he had been given. He kind of missed that feeling of euphoria and weightlessness, though.

"You expect a name from me, don't you?" the man asked. "Names are what helps people define their existence. They give themselves a label to which they can identify as. However, I don't feel the need to have a name. I know who I am and where I belong in this world. But if you must, please call me Minseok." Jongdae couldn't help but let his eyes narrow. He had a feeling that this man was somewhat crazy. No, not somewhat crazy. Very crazy.

"You're insane," Jongdae couldn't help but say. Instead of becoming offended, Minseok laughed.

"Calling somebody insane is a little bit too mean, don't you think? I think mad is much nicer. But we all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?"

Minseok's reply was unexpected. It threw him off guard and he couldn't come up with an answer to the witch's question. But Minseok didn't expect an answer, so he smiled pleasantly at Jongdae, waiting for another question.

"What are you doing out in the middle of the forest? Are you some kind of...hermit?" Jongdae quickly asked to avoid odd pauses.

"A hermit is somebody who wishes to live in solitude," Minseok said. He set the teacup down on a windowsill, next to a small potted plant with red flowers. A small dish was placed under the pot to collect the crimson drippings. It looked a look like blood. "I guess you can call me that. But I prefer the term witch. You do understand why I favor that term more than hermit, yes?"

"No," Jongdae replied. "I don't."

Minseok exhaled gently as he walked across the room with light feet. Jongdae watches as the other gestures to the mantlepiece above the fireplace, where many bottles filled with colorful liquids were kept. "Witches are known to brew potions. I make potions for anybody and everybody, but mostly for Mr. Byun by his request. Do you understand now?"

"I suppose," Jongdae muttered. "But who is Mr. Byun? Is he another witch?"

"Mr. Byun is merely the one who provides us with advice when the time is needed. Occasionally, when the moon and stars are in the right position, he gives us some sight into our future." Minseok turned his back to Jongdae to fix his glass bottles. It seems that Minseok was finished talking and was now preoccupied with organizing the bottles by color of the liquids. Jongdae took it as a chance for him to escape the home of a madman.

"I wouldn't leave if I were you," Minseok said without turning around to see Jongdae gripping the wooden door handle. "That fog will keep intoxicating you and won't go away until tomorrow morning. There are some vicious creatures lurking in this forest right now, anyways. Ah, damn fire ants. They keep setting my belladonna on fire." The last part was grumbled under his breath when he found a small colony of fire ants sparking tiny flames on another bundle of herb that was tacked to the wall. The witch picks up an eyedropper which laid next to a jar of lime green liquid. He extracted a bit of the liquid and carefully dropped it onto the fire ants. In an instant, the ants began to fizzle and pop.

Jongdae looks at Minseok's back. Then he looks at the door. He looked at Minseok again and decides it's best he listened to the man, even if he was crazy. But before he could make his way back to the sofa, something sharp pokes him in the back.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. Jongdae looked around to find the the thing that had hurt him but didn't have to try hard, as it was standing in front of him. It was a deer, except the tips of its antlers were much sharper than those of normal deer. But besides that, something seemed off. He stares at the animal for a moment as he tried to think, watching it twitch its nose and flick its ears towards him. He found his answer when the deer grinned at him, showing off its razor-sharp teeth with a low growl.

"Leave him alone, Luhan. He hasn't done anything to you." The deer turned its ears towards the sound of Minseok's voice. It blinked innocently at Jongdae, grinned again, and clopped away. Instead of a fluffy brown tail, a brown snake with a white underside swayed from side to side. As if to taunt him, it stuck its tongue out.

"Was that a man-eating deer?" Jongdae asked. He quickly made his way to the sofa and clutched onto a pillow. He could feel shivers going down his spine right now.

"It is," Minseok confirmed with a nonchalant tone of voice. "He was actually a human before I asked Mr. Byun to turn Luhan into a man-eating deer." Jongdae stared at the deer in horror. That used to be a man?

"Why did you ask Mr. Byun to turn Luhan into a deer?" Jongdae asked.

"Sometimes, it is best to keep the truth as a lie." Minseok finished tending to the herb. He set down the eyedropper on the table and picked up another tea kettle on the table. He selected two mugs from the table and poured some tea into them. In the glow of the fire, the tea was the color of amber. When he was finished preparing, he set the kettle back down and brought both mugs over to Jongdae. He gave the man one mug and kept the other for himself. As he caught Jongdae's eyes, he added with a sly smile, "I simply wanted him to be turned into a man-eating deer." He sat down on the sofa with Jongdae and continued to smile as he took a sip. Was the witch lying? Something told Jongdae that Minseok was telling the truth.

"Will you turn me into a man-eating deer, too?" Jongdae asked after taking a careful sip of the tea. It didn't taste too bad.

"I won't unless you want me to. And I'll only do it for my own pleasure," Minseok said with a mischievous grin. He laughs at the face of horror the other had made. "Oh, don't take me so seriously, Jongdae."

"How do you know my name?" Jongdae asked. He looked very scared and Minseok suddenly felt bad. He stops giggling long enough to explain. "I had my fortune told by Mr. Byun. He told me that a man would become lost in the forest and his name is Jongdae. That's you, if you don't understand."

"Oh. That seems like a plausible explanation," Jongdae said. To try and calm his pounding heart, he took a big gulp of tea. The sudden change of flavors surprises him. "What's in this? It went from sweet to sour just now."

"I'm glad you asked," Minseok said with a delighted smile. "It's a special relaxing tea that I always brew. It has some mint, lavender, honey, lemon balm—" Minseok stopped mid-sentence, as if he had given out too much information. "Anyways, I also added in some raspberries in," the witch added.

"It tastes good." Jongdae took another gulp. He was starting to feel a little bit sleepy. Perhaps it was from all that running and the warmth from both the tea and fire that was making him drowsy. He sets down his mug on the floor and decides that maybe a nap wouldn't be too bad.

"Here. Lay your head on my lap." Without much fussing, Jongdae does as he is instructed and makes himself comfortable in the witch's lap. He lets his eyes flutter close for a moment, but they open again to stare at the blue fire.

"How did you become a witch?" Jongdae asked, a voice lowered to a sleepy mumble. "I don't think much of the past. I'm happy with the life I live now," Minseok said. He ran his fingers through Jongdae's soft hair. The man leans into the touch and closed his eyes again. "It's been a while since I gave the idea much thought, but I remember it clearly. I was a boy of only seven when I found a hole in a fence that seperates humans from nature. My friend and I crawled under the hole and explored this new world. There was a field that was empty, yet it was full of life too. There was also a grove of purples trees—wisteria, they like to be called—and past that was a small creek. My friend and I crossed it until we came upon this forest. He didn't want to go in. I don't want to call him a coward, but at that time I knew too little emotions and that was what I called him. He wasn't afraid of the forest, though. He was merely stopped by his own self because he was unsure."

"Unsure of what?" Jongdae asked.

"Unsure of whether going in was the right choice." A warm hand brushes Jongdae's bangs out of his eyes. The man moved his head and opened his eyes again to see if he was staring up at Minseok. He was.

"What happened next?" Jongdae pressed on as he lets his eyelids droop.

"I stepped into the forest without him. I heard him yell my name and to come back, but I was determined to find something interesting to bring back to my friend. Let him see what he had missed because he didn't come with me. But I must've gone too deep into the forest. I hadn't realized it until I thought I heard my friend call for me. That was when I realized I had gone too far and I was lost. Like most children, I began to cry. But thanks to Lady Luck, Mr. Byun found me. The rest of the memory have been blurred from the many seasons that have passed."

Jongdae was just on the edge of wakefulness and sleep at this point. He could hear Minseok, yet he didn't understand some of the things the witch had said. He feels fingers thread through his hair. He detects the faint sensation of hot air on his lips. He tastes bittersweetness on his tongue. He opens his eyes just as he caught Minseok staring down at him. The witch pushed Jongdae's bangs away from his eyes.

"Do you remember me, Jongdae?"

"I do, Minseok. I remember you." A thumb brushed against his cheek. "Everybody in town thought you had died."

"I was merely on the other side of town. I could have asked Mr. Byun to take me to the edge of the forest, but it's no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then." Jongdae let his eyes shut. He feels soft fingertips trace the outline of his lips.

"Jongdae. Stay with me. That way, we can be together forever."

"How long is forever?"

"Forever can last for as long as the world spins and breathe. Sometimes, just one second. But our forever will last until the stars disappear."

Jongdae opens his eyes again. He meets Minseok's eyes, bright like the gentle sunlight. "Okay. We'll be mad together."

Minseok smiles like a happy schoolboy. He leans down to place a tender kiss on Jongdae's lips. He whispers to the other, "Sleep, my dear. And tomorrow we will be together."

This time, when he closes his eyes, he doesn't open them again until morning came.


End file.
